Improvement in switches



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JUDSON F. JONES, OF WASNGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Letters Patent No. 62,544, dated March 5, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN SWITCHES.

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To ALL wHoM rr MAY ooNenRN:

Be it known that I, JUDSON F. JONES; of the city and county of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and improved Self-Closing and Self-Locking Railroad Switch; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, suihcient to enable one skilled in the art to which the invention' nppertairs to 'make use of it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a plan view.

Figure 2 is a vertical section. u

This switch-lock holds the switch upon the main track except while forcibly and temporarily held upon the tuin-out. When the switch-lever is released a spring returns the switch to the main track, the loeking-bar automatically engaging with a tooth of the switchbar. The locking-bar cannot be disengaged except by the key, which elcvates it, and is released for subsequent engagement by the descending switch-lever.

n the drawings, A A are the rails of the main track, and B B the siding. C C are the switch-rails; D is the switch-bar, which has on its upper side teethwhich are engaged by those of the ccg-wheel E, which is rotated by the lever F te run the switch on tothe siding. As armere convenient mode of holding down the switchlever and giving a greater command when the train is moving, a secondary lever, G, is used to hold down the end oi' the lever' The motion of the lever F, when exerted, is constantly .against thc power of the elliptic spring H, the latter constantly tending te restore the switch to the main track, and as the switch-har returns the lock slides up the inclined portion d of the switch-bar,1locking behind the first tooth, 'as seen in iig. 2. the segment i are intended to adapt the lever to move the switch to diiferent tracks'. Itl is the design that tho end of the lever F shall rest upon the ground, and it is adjustedV into 'such one of the notches 't' as shall give it the required range to move t-he switch rail, more or less, to bring it into correspondence with such one of the lines of raiis as may be desired. The key J,shown detached in Figure 3, is introduced at the side of the box which contains the mechanism, and when it is rotated, as shown in red lines in tig. 2, to hold up the locking-bar K, the switch-bar D can be moved by the cog-wheel E, but when the bar is down it locks the switch-bar and awitch, and always shut against the main track, as it cannot bo locked in any other position. The locking-bar K being. up, and the switch-lever F being moved, the latter, in descending, pushes the trigger L and upsets the key d, sothat it drops the locking-bar. The tooth, however, has passed the locking-bar, and the switch-bar D is free te more out. As soon as the train has been run onto the siding the lever F is released, and the spring H restores the switch and the bar D, the locking-bar K shutting down behind the tooth and locking tbe'switeh. The key J is removable, and the switch-tender carries it with him. it forms the only means of reaching the lockingdever to disengage the switch-bar. The b oX M encloses thc apparatus, and is locked securely, so that it cannot be tampered with. The whole forms a self-closing and a self-locking switch, which is always safely locked on the main track, except when forcibly detained by the switch-guard; and the switch cannot be operated except by the one who has the key.

Having described my invention, what I clam therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'lhe combination of the switch-lever F, cog-wheel E, coggcd`bar Df-with incline d, gravitating lccliingbar- K, removable key J, and trigger L, operating substantially as described and represented.

JUDSON F. JONES.

The notches z'z'in Witnesses:

EDWARD H. KNIGHT, SoLcN G. KnMoN. 

